Why Does Spotify Stop Playing When Screen Is Off On iPhone? The Frustrating Fixes You Need

Picture this: You’ve finally found the perfect playlist for your morning run or your commute. You hit play, lock your iPhone screen to save battery and slip it into your pocket. Two minutes later? Silence. The music has abruptly stopped. Ugh. It’s one of the most frustrating quirks iPhone users face with streaming apps like Spotify.

You’re not alone. This isn't usually a Spotify bug, but rather a fierce battle happening behind the scenes between Spotify and Apple's powerful operating system, iOS. Apple is obsessed with battery life and performance, and sometimes, that obsession means aggressively killing background apps the moment you lock the screen.

As an SEO content expert who has dealt with countless support tickets on this exact issue, I can tell you that the solution is rarely just one thing. It's usually a combination of settings that need tweaking. We’re going to walk through the diagnosis and the fixes, from the simplest toggle to the advanced iOS adjustments.

Diagnosing the Spotify Silence: Identifying the Usual Suspects

Before diving into complex solutions, we need to rule out the basic, sneaky culprits. Nine times out of ten, the problem is related to iOS prioritizing battery life over your background playback needs. The key concept here is "resource management."

1. Low Power Mode (The Silent Killer)

Low Power Mode (LPM) is designed to throttle non-essential processes when your battery drops below 80% (or when manually enabled). When activated, LPM severely limits background activity, including fetching data and refreshing streams. Spotify counts as "non-essential" when the screen is locked, leading to abrupt pauses.

2. Background App Refresh Restrictions

iOS needs explicit permission for an app to keep running tasks when the screen is dark. If Background App Refresh (BAR) is disabled for Spotify, the app will cease functioning shortly after the phone is locked.

3. Data Saver and Streaming Quality Settings in Spotify

If you are using Spotify’s built-in "Data Saver" feature, or if your streaming quality is set extremely high, the app might struggle to maintain the connection when the phone locks and Wi-Fi switches to a weaker signal (or vice-versa). Spotify might interpret the momentary data struggle as a reason to pause the track.

Here’s a quick checklist of initial diagnostics:

• Check Low Power Mode: Is the battery icon yellow? Turn it off via Control Center or Settings > Battery.
• Check Wi-Fi/Cellular Stability: Are you moving between strong and weak signal areas? Drops often trigger a pause.
• Force Quit and Relaunch: Swipe up and hold (or double-tap the Home button on older models) and swipe Spotify away. Sometimes a fresh start fixes a minor memory glitch.

Deep Dive Troubleshooting: Fixing iOS and Spotify Settings

If the quick fixes didn't work, it's time to dive into the settings menus. We need to specifically tell iOS, "Hey, I actually want Spotify to run continuously, even if I lock the screen."

Adjusting iOS Battery Optimization Settings

This section is crucial. We must ensure that the operating system isn't deliberately throttling the app.

Step 1: Verify Background App Refresh is Enabled

Even if you think it's on, double-check that it’s enabled specifically for Spotify and that the overall setting is correct.

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap General.
3. Select Background App Refresh.
4. Ensure the main setting is set to Wi-Fi & Cellular Data (not Off).
5. Scroll down and find Spotify. Ensure the toggle next to Spotify is green (ON).

Step 2: Review Battery Health and Optimization

If your iPhone's battery health is significantly degraded, iOS becomes even more aggressive about shutting down background tasks to preserve the remaining capacity.

1. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging.
2. Check the Maximum Capacity percentage. If it's below 80%, consider replacing the battery, as poor battery health is a common underlying cause of background app termination.
3. Also, ensure Optimized Battery Charging is enabled (though this rarely causes playback issues, it helps overall phone stability).

Tweaking In-App Spotify Preferences

Sometimes the settings within the Spotify app itself are working against you, particularly if you are trying to save mobile data.

Step 3: Disable Data Saver in Spotify

When Data Saver is active, Spotify reduces the quality of the stream and attempts to use less data. This can make the app more susceptible to pausing during minor network hiccups when the screen is off.

1. Open the Spotify app.
2. Go to Settings (gear icon).
3. Look for the Data Saver toggle and ensure it is Off.
4. While you're there, check your Streaming Quality settings. If you’re constantly dropping connection on "Very High," try setting it to "Normal" or "High" to see if the stability improves during locked-screen playback.

Step 4: Clear Spotify Cache

A corrupted or massive cache can slow down Spotify and lead to instability, causing the app to crash or pause when backgrounded. This is a common solution that many users overlook.

1. Open the Spotify app.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Scroll down to Storage.
4. Tap Clear Cache. (Don't worry, this won't delete your downloaded songs or playlists).

Advanced Optimization and Long-Term Prevention

If you've checked all the settings above and your Spotify still cuts out, we need to look at network integrity and software maintenance. These steps address deeper issues that aren't purely related to battery optimization.

1. Check Network Connectivity Features

The transition between Wi-Fi and cellular data when the screen is locked can be tricky. Apple attempts to manage this seamlessly, but sometimes it results in a momentary drop that causes Spotify to stop.

• Disable Wi-Fi Assist (If you suspect connectivity issues): Wi-Fi Assist automatically switches your connection to cellular data when your Wi-Fi signal is poor. If this switch is slow or unstable, it can interrupt the stream. Go to Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data), scroll to the very bottom, and toggle Wi-Fi Assist off to keep the phone strictly on Wi-Fi until the signal is completely gone.
• Check VPN Status: Are you using a VPN? VPNs can sometimes drop connection when the screen locks due to their own power-saving protocols. Try disabling your VPN temporarily to see if the issue resolves.

2. Software Integrity and Maintenance

Outdated software is the source of endless compatibility headaches. Always ensure you are running the latest versions.

• Update iOS: Always ensure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS. Apple frequently releases minor updates that include important bug fixes for background app management. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
• Update Spotify: Check the App Store to make sure your Spotify app is fully up-to-date. Developers constantly release patches to address compatibility issues with the newest iOS versions.
• Reinstall the App (The Nuclear Option): If all else fails, delete the Spotify app completely (this *will* remove all downloaded music, so be prepared to re-download). Restart your phone, then download and install Spotify fresh from the App Store. This eliminates any deeply corrupted preference files.

3. Utilize Offline Mode (The Ultimate Workaround)

If you are a Premium user and your connection is unreliable, the most foolproof way to guarantee uninterrupted playback when the screen is off is to download your music and listen offline. When listening to downloaded tracks, Spotify doesn't require a constant data stream, effectively insulating it from connectivity issues and aggressive background data throttling.

To summarize the path to smooth, locked-screen playback: Disable Low Power Mode, enable Background App Refresh for Spotify, clear your cache, and ensure you have strong connectivity. By managing these four key areas, you can ensure your iPhone and Spotify are working in harmony, not conflict, allowing your music to play perfectly, even when the screen is black.